


Aceptación

by S_Horne



Series: Acceptance [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet, Coming Out, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Lightwood Family Feels, M/M, Miscommunication, fears of homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-30 20:03:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13958970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Horne/pseuds/S_Horne
Summary: Magnus smiled. “I love you too, Alexander.”Outside the room, Maryse’s thoughts were running wild. Alec wasn’t gay; not her son. Except, well... maybe he was. And Alec thought she would be angry about it - angry about Magnus, angry that Alec was gay.She wasn't quite sure what she felt./Alec's parents don't know about his relationship with Magnus Bane until he is hospitalised and the truth comes out accidentally. A story of sexuality, family, heartache, shame, and acceptance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (Phew, I am so glad this is over)
> 
> Written for the Shadowhunter Hiatus Big Bang
> 
> Beta'd by [the lovely la-muerta](http://la-muerta.tumblr.com/) who was very patient with this mess of a fic
> 
> (There is mention of Alec in a car accident, but he's okay and it doesn't go into detail)
> 
> There is also crazy use of italics to show flashbacks in memories but it was the easiest way to show them, so apologies if you find it difficult to read. This is my second Malec fic and by far the longest fic I've ever written so I'm kind of scared.
> 
> Also, don't repost this anywhere and if you paid to read this or read it anywhere other than on this website under my name, please let me know.
> 
> Okay. Here goes...
> 
> \--

“Is this Mrs Maryse Lightwood? I’m afraid this is regarding your son, Alexander Lightwood…”

/

_“Mommy, Mommy!” Maryse looked up to see a bundle of energy barrelling across the office towards her, her son’s shock of dark curly hair flopping into his eyes as he ran. “Lookit! I made it for you!” As the boy reached her side he thrust a piece of paper into her hands, beaming up from her knees. “It’s me, and Izzy, and you, and Daddy, and Jace!”_

_Maryse smiled down at her eldest child, stroking a hand over his messy hair as he carefully studied the artwork in her hand._

_“It’s beautiful, Alec. Robert, come and see this.” She beckoned her husband from the other side of the bullpen to come and see their child’s work. Robert walked over and held out a hand to hi-five his son, leaning over his wife’s shoulder to admire the art piece._

_“Who are these other people, Alec?” Robert asked as he knelt down. He pointed at the three other figures huddled close to the Lightwood family._

_“That one is Izzy’s boyfriend, and that’s Jace’s girlfriend, and that one’s my boyfriend!”_

_Maryse raised her eyebrows at her son, “Your boyfriend?”_

_“Yeah!” Alec confirmed with a bright grin. “Girls are gross! ‘Cept Izzy, she’s okay I guess. But other girls have,” he dropped his voice to a whisper and leant in closer to his parents, cupping his hands around his mouth as he threw a furtive glance between them, “cooties.”_

/

“Mom! Dad!” The Lightwoods turned from the reception desk at Jace’s voice. The young man came out of a nearby waiting room and rushed over to his parents, grabbing them into tight hugs. “The doctor just came to tell us about Alec’s condition. In here.”

Jace gestured for Maryse and Robert to follow him back into the waiting room. Isabelle was sitting inside with her hands clasped tightly around those of a young Asian man, the two seated very close together with their heads bowed. Isabelle shot up when she saw her parents, running into her father’s embrace with a soft cry. Maryse opened her arms for a hug when Isabelle turned to her but didn’t have the time to pay any attention to or acknowledge anyone else in the room because at that moment the doctor entered with an explanation of Alec’s injuries and what Alec was going through in his surgery. His injuries were extensive and the operation that he was in sounded terrifying to his family, who listened with horror to the long list that the doctor walked them through.

/

_“Mom,” Alec walked into Maryse’s office almost hesitantly, with none of his usual confidence present._

_Maryse looked up from her paperwork with a soft smile, “Yes?”_

_“Can I talk to you, and Dad, tonight?” He stuttered over his words as his hands twisted together behind his rigid back._

_“I'm sorry, Alec, but your father is leaving for San Francisco very early in the morning and I need to finish this work before he goes. Can it wait until he gets back?”_

_“When is that?”_

_Maryse dropped her gaze again and flicked through the open diary on the desk. “Three weeks.”_

_“Yeah,” Alec sighed. “Sure. It’s fine.”_

/

“Mr and Mrs. Lightwood? Your son is out of surgery. He’s in room 305; he’s asleep but I’m sure he’d like you to be there. Please, only two at a time and try not to make too much noise.”

Maryse and Robert went in to visit Alec first, still too focused on seeing their son to ask who the young man still sitting with Isabelle and Jace was. When they pushed open the door they saw Alec lying unmoving in the hospital bed, dark bruises covering his face and an IV drip attached to his arm. A drunk driver in a truck had crashed into Alec’s car when Alec had been on his way home a few hours before. Alec hadn’t regained consciousness since he had been brought in, the damage from the accident proving extensive to both him and his car.

Maryse stopped in the doorway to the room as she saw her son. He was so still. Maryse was used to her son being calm; he had always kept perfectly still when he slept, even as a child, and he concentrated so hard on his work when he was in his office that he barely moved. Even when he watched television his attention was solely focused on whatever was on. But this… this was _too_ still.

The soft beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room and Maryse’s heels clicked far too loudly as she walked across the floor to sit by her son’s bedside. She couldn’t stay there for long, the silence and the stillness too much for her to bear. She stood up on slightly unsteady legs and pressed a lingering kiss to her son’s forehead, brushing his unruly hair away from his face as she promised his unconscious body that she would return. Robert stood up with his wife, clasping a hand to Alec’s shoulder and taking Maryse’s in his other.

“How is he?” Jace was the first one on his feet when his parents left the room.

“He was still sleeping,” Robert replied. “We’re going to find the cafeteria but you should sit with your brother, in case he wakes up.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jace said. “I’ve been here for far too long and my stomach is about to eat itself.”

“No, you should stay,” his father disagreed. “We can bring something up for you.”

“It’s fine, Dad. Alec’s only allowed two people at one time, anyway.”

Maryse turned to see who would be the second person going in with Isabelle instead of Jace, but the corridor was empty, the door to Alec’s room swinging shut once more.

/

_“Alec!”_

_The young man’s head shot up when his name was called loudly. He looked around the room to see everyone in the meeting staring right back at him. At the top of the table stood his mother, shaking her head at him since he had been engrossed in his phone rather than listening to the details of the meeting._

_“Do you have something to contribute to the meeting?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “Did one of our clients send you a pressing email?”_

_Alec locked his phone quickly and dropped it on his lap, straightening his back and lifting his hands to pick up the detailed minutes on the conference table in front of him._

_“No, Ma’am.” Alec managed to concentrate on his work for about thirty seconds before his gaze dropped back to his phone and his attention was gone once again._

_He missed his mother’s private smile before she called his name again and by the time he looked up it was gone, replaced with a stern look. Alec’s gaze flickered between his colleagues like a deer in the headlights before landing on his mother. She sighed softly before waving her hand to the man standing by her._

_“Now that I have everyone’s attention,” she began pointedly, “Hodge, if you’ll please continue.”_

_As the Lightwood Ltd.’s CFO turned back to the board beside him and commenced his presentation, Alec’s phone lit up once again._

_Received from MB:_ **_I hope your boring meeting isn’t too soul destroying! Can’t wait to see you later, my darling xxxx_ **

_The meeting carried on around Alec. Hell, the whole office could have burnt down around him and he wouldn’t have noticed as he typed out a response with a wide grin on his face._

/

Maryse made her way back to her son’s hospital room with two coffees in her hands. Robert had taken Jace home to shower and change and needed to fetch their youngest son, Max, from school but Maryse had wanted to stay. She was about to walk into Alec’s room when she noticed that Isabelle was not in there anymore and that there was a stranger in there instead, sitting by her son.  _Who was he, and why was he there with Alec?_ She questioned silently. Neither man had noticed her standing slightly to the side of the open door, which allowed her to both see and hear their soft exchanges without being seen. Maryse recognised the man now – it was the same gentleman who had been in the waiting room of the hospital when she and Robert had arrived; he’d been sitting with Isabelle. _What was his name?_

“Magnus.” A soft moan cut through Maryse’s thoughts, Alec’s speech barely louder than a whine.

Maryse was about to enter the room to see her son now that he was awake, but what happened next stopped her in her tracks. Alec turned his head minutely as he sought someone out, his eyes squinting as they adjusted to the bright lighting of the hospital. The man at his side leant forward immediately and smiled, his eyes glinting suspiciously in the bright hospital lighting.

“Hi,” he whispered. The man – _Magnus,_ Maryse recalled – moved one of his hands from where he had been clasping Alec’s tightly and ran it through Alec’s hair sweetly.

“It hurts,” Alec said pitifully, his voice hoarse with disuse.

“I know, darling, I know,” Magnus said sympathetically. He twisted his body and reached over to the bedside table for a glass of water. “Here, drink this. Slowly,” he instructed as he helped Alec to sit up slightly to take small sips.

“Was Mom here earlier?” Alec asked as he lowered himself back down. As he shifted against the pillow, Magnus pressed the button by the bed to release pain-relieving drugs into Alec’s system.

“She was,” Magnus confirmed, resuming his stroking of Alec’s hair as he settled. “She hasn’t left the hospital since you came in; she only left the room about twenty minutes ago to grab some coffees and I think Robert went to fetch Max, so I slipped in to see you. She should be on her way back here soon though, so I should probably go. Isabelle was supposed to warn me –” He was cut off as Alec’s fingers spasmed around Magnus’s hand and the younger man whined. Magnus squeezed back and smiled bitter-sweetly as he continued. “I know, baby, but I don’t know how your family will take to me being here. They didn’t say anything to me but… Either way, I’ll have to let the nurses know you’re awake.”

“Did she see you?”

Magnus’ hand paused in Alec’s hair for a second before he nodded. “Yes. Yes, she did – although no one commented on it, actually. I’m afraid I wasn’t very good at concealing my emotions upon seeing you in this state, and I think I may have outed us. I’m sorry.”

Alec shook his head and tightened his grip on Magnus’ hand, the only movement he could make so soon after waking up. “S’okay. Was thinking about talking to you about coming out n’way. I don’t want to hide anymore. Just wish it could have been a happier occasion.” Alec’s speech was slightly slurred as the pain-killing drugs swept through his system but he was sincere in his words.

Maryse was shocked. She couldn’t quite understand what she was hearing. _What were they talking about? Outed what?_ Back in the room, the two men fell silent, contentedly staring at each other until Alec broke the silence with a hesitant question. “Is she angry?”

Magnus didn’t answer immediately, and then sighed deeply. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”

 _Why would I be angry?_ Maryse thought in bewilderment. The accident hadn’t been Alec’s fault; a drunk driver had come out of nowhere and crashed into him. It had been pitch black and raining and the other car had lost control; there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it. Alec’s car had been completely written off, and she and Robert had bought him that car so perhaps he was worried about that? _That was ridiculous_ , Maryse thought to herself, why would she care about anything other than the fact that her son was safe?

“I want my mom,” Alec whined. Maryse’s heart ached at that and she nearly burst through the door, but Magnus’ soft voice stopped her as he leant forward and soothed her son.

“I know, darling. I’m sorry.”

“Do you think she’ll come in?”

 _Yes,_ Maryse thought. She wanted to run right in and scream at the top of her voice. _Why would she not?_ It hurt her to see her baby lying there but there was nothing in this world that would stop her from being there to comfort him.

Magnus took a moment before replying. “I don’t know. I’ll go and find her.”

“Don’t,” Alec said suddenly, making an attempt to grab Magnus’ hand before he could stand up to leave and groaning with the effort that one small movement took.

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t move, it’s okay,” Magnus soothed. He resumed stroking Alec’s hair, moving his other hand to take Alec’s again. “If you want her to come in, I’ll have to go and get her.”

“But then you’ll be gone,” Alec’s voice was small and almost childlike, scared even.

Magnus smiled softly even as he moved closer to Alec. “I’ll come back though, darling.”

“Will you?” Alec asked.

That made the smile drop from Magnus’ face and he sighed. “I’d try my best to.”

 _Why would he not come back?_ It was plain to see that these two men had been together for a long time, with Magnus knowing what Alec needed almost immediately, so why would he just leave?

“I don’t think they could stop me from coming in, short of giving the nurses a picture of me and placing a guard on the door.” Alec moaned at that thought until Magnus shushed him softly. “But I’d try, Alexander. I’d climb up the drainpipe if I had to; I’d fight the guard and break down the door.”

Alec let out a weak chuckle, groaning at the movement it caused his bruised and battered body. “Okay,” he conceded, leaning into Magnus’ touch. “You can go and get her, but only if you promise that I will see you again. And don’t let her be mean,” he added, his voice small and feeble.

Maryse straightened her back, again questioning her son’s words. _Why on earth would she be mean?_ Her thoughts raced as she tried to recall a time she had been ‘mean’ to her son, not finding one. She’d been harsh at some points in her son’s 28 years of life but never enough to explain why her son might be afraid of her presence. And she certainly wasn’t going to be mean to him when he was lying in a hospital bed.

“I won’t let her in if she’s not going to accept you, sweetheart.”

“No,” Alec’s voice gained power. “Don’t let her be mean to _you._ ”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Magnus’ voice was so fond as he sighed quietly. “Only you could be in such dreadful pain and yet be concerned about somebody else’s feelings. I won’t let her be mean to me, just as I won’t let anyone be mean to you.”

Outside the door, Maryse jolted with realisation as Magnus replied to her son. She almost dropped the coffees in her hand as all of the pieces suddenly slotted together. She hadn’t given the man much thought; when they had reached the hospital all that had concerned her was finding her son. Thinking back upon it now, Maryse recalled that Magnus had been in tears, his bold eye makeup, which was now carefully reapplied, had been smudged and his hair had been sticking up as though he had run his hands through it multiple times. She had just assumed that he had been a friend of Isabelle’s and had been with her when she had gotten the news, since he had been there before even Alec’s parents and had been sitting so close to Isabelle, but there had been so many signs that she, _they,_ had seemingly ignored. For years, apparently.

“It’s so good to see you awake, my darling,” Magnus said, cutting into Maryse’s thoughts once more. “I really thought I’d lost you for a moment there.”

Alec moaned as he tried to shuffle closer to Magnus. “Never; I’m not gonna leave you on your own. I love you.”

Magnus smiled. “I love you too, Alexander.”

Maryse’s thoughts were running wild. Alec wasn’t _gay._ Not _her_ son. Except, well, maybe he was. And Alec thought she would be angry about it - angry about Magnus, angry that Alec was gay.

 

 _Was_ she angry?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this may be confusing, particularly when broken down into chapters, but the italic sections are flashbacks/memories.
> 
> Thank you all for such lovely comments!
> 
> \--

_Alec was stifling badly-hidden yawns and trying to keep his eyes from drooping too much as they sat around the table for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving was the one weekend where all of the grown-up Lightwood children were expected to return to the family home and spend the night in their childhood bedrooms - but Alec had spent the night in his boyfriend’s bed, slipping back into his parent’s house just before dawn. There was evidence of this in the large bruises blooming on his neck, just visible above his shirt collar. The dark-coloured shirt that Magnus had chosen for him only brought more attention to the blotches on his skin._

_“Why so tired, Alec?” Isabelle asked casually as she passed a bowl of mashed potatoes over to him._

_“We missed you at breakfast,” Jace chimed in,_ _his smirk far too wide to be passed off as anything but mischievous._

_The four siblings had a brilliant relationship and were exceptionally close but when they got together they teased each other mercilessly. Jace had endured the brunt of the teasing for months on end when the object of his affections had rejected him at every turn, flirting back with purpose but never committing whilst she dealt with the ending of a previous relationship. It had been the same for Izzy when she had finally settled down and committed to a fully-fledged relationship for the first time in her 26 years, especially when the guy she chose had a tattoo of a leaf on the side of his face and hair almost longer than her own. It was all good-natured but it was unrelenting and annoying._

_“Did you have a good night? Jace continued, seemingly nonchalant but his eyes sparkled impishly._

_Maryse looked over at Izzy’s loud and sudden snort and caught the tail end of the conversation. "What_ _did you get up to last night, Alec?” She asked, smiling down the table._

_Alec stammered and kicked Jace under the table throwing a pointed stare his way before he turned to face his mother as he swallowed on a dry throat, realising that he could no longer ignore his siblings._ _“I just met up with some friends,” he said hoarsely, “Went to the gym.”_

_“You must have been sparing pretty hard,” Isabelle commented. “Those are some big and bad bruises on your neck.”_

_Alec levelled another glare across the table, his eyes flaming murderously.  “Maybe I’ll take you two with me next time. Teach you how to fight properly.”_

_Izzy just rolled her eyes at the threat as Jace smirked, completely unaffected by their brother’s too-often-used death glare._

_“And how is Magnus?”_

_Alec’s eyes shot around to the man sitting next to him and his eyes opened impossibly wide in betrayal. He glanced up to Robert and Maryse at the top of the table, but they had turned away and were back in deep conversation with their friends so Alec relaxed. He turned back to Meliorn as his friend repeated the question. Alec softened; Meliorn had been a good friend of Magnus’s for years and, even without his relationship with his little sister, Alec knew that Meliorn wouldn’t have outed him to his parents like that._

_“He’s good,” Alec said quietly, dolloping some vegetables on his plate before handing the dish to Max beside him. “He’s doing some big work event today but we spent yesterday together and,” he cut himself off and sighed before steeling himself to continue, “It was enough.”_

_“Was it?” Alec looked up at Izzy’s question and mustered up a smile at his sister, throwing another subtle glance at his parents before looking back and nodding._

_“For now,” he said._

/

Maryse and Robert sat side by side in Alec’s hospital room, watching over as their sleeping son. Alec had been given a pretty hefty dose of painkillers earlier in the evening and had been asleep for a while, only stirring once or twice but falling back asleep quickly.

“He’s our son, Robert,” Maryse suddenly spoke. Her voice was quiet and her eyes didn’t stray from Alec’s face even as she addressed her husband. “How did we let this happen? We should have stopped this a long time ago. It should never have gotten this far.”

Robert reached his hand out to rest it over hers on Alec’s chest and squeezed it gently. “I know, I agree. But it’s done now; there’s nothing we can do.”

“There is,” Maryse disagreed. “There has to be.”

The noise in the room roused Alec into a weary consciousness and his nose wrinkled as he moaned, the drugs beginning to wear off and the aches in his body making themselves known again. He reached out a hand blindly and tilted his head to the side, squinting his eyes through a few tired blinks.

“Mom?”

Maryse leaned closer to the bed and took Alec’s hand. Neither of them moved for a long while, Alec’s eyes slipping closed again as he began to drift off.

“I have to go,” Maryse said after another moment of silence, tightening her grip on her son’s hand for a moment before pulling hers away.

“No, Mom,” Alec groaned. He tried to sit up in protest but Maryse laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down gently.

Alec didn’t give up and stretched his hand out towards his mother. “Please, Mom. Don’t leave me –”

“I need to get Max from school,” she said. She stood up to leave but before she went she bent down to sweep Alec’s hair back from his face and smiled at him. “You’ll be okay,” she said soothingly. Alec’s eyes fell closed once more as he choked back another moan, but he was still conscious enough to hear Maryse’s footsteps stopping abruptly as she paused in the doorway. “We can’t have this happening,” Alec heard her tell his father determinedly, fiercely. Robert turned to look up at her and nodded in agreement. “Not in our family.”

Burying his face in his pillow, Alec screwed his face up and prayed that whatever had just happened was just a dream. His pain was so much deeper than just physical now.

/

_“Maia is coming and so is Meliorn,” Jace pointed out,_ _restarting the old argument. “You can invite him – it’s not like Mom and Dad would make a scene in front of all their friends and business colleagues that will be there too.”_

_“It’s a Christmas party,” Izzy added. “You and Magnus have never spent a Christmas together. Don’t you want him to come?”_

_“We have spent a Christmas together,” Alec protested._

_“Alec,” Izzy started with a small roll of her eyes. “Spending Christmas Eve together and then sneaking back into our parents’ house in the early hours of the morning does not count as ‘spending a Christmas together’.”_

_"Do you not want him there?” Jace asked, repeating Izzy’s earlier question._

_“How can you even ask me that?”_

_“Because you didn’t answer,” Izzy said with a raised eyebrow. “It’s been two years and he’s never come to a single Lightwood event, business or pleasure.”_

_“Of course I want him there!” Alec said, turning to stare at his sister with wide eyes and throwing his hands into the air. “I just don’t want to subject him to the shit-show that I know would happen!”_

_“But how do you know that would happen? We don’t know that Mom –”_

_“Of course they would! Izzy, please stop thinking that life is perfect! You don’t know what it’s like – neither of you do!” Alec turned away again and crossed the room, dropping heavily onto one of the armchairs near the fireplace with an angry huff. “You think I don’t want him to come? You think I don’t want to able to stand there like you and Meliorn, or you and whatever girl you have on your arm this week?” Alec asked his siblings, indicating them in turn. “You think I want to come to all of these things on my own? To stand there all night talking to boring people who only ever want to discuss business? Or nod along to comments that degrade the people I call my friends or, God forbid, my boyfriend? You think I like letting Magnus sit at home alone and think that I’m ashamed of him, that I’m hiding him from everyone I love and care about? You think I like watching everyone at these damn things holding hands and laughing tipsily under the mistletoe and –”_

_“There you are!” The older siblings all jumped in unison as they were suddenly interrupted by Max, the youngest Lightwood. “What were you yelling about, Alec?” Max asked, looking up at him with a frown far too old for a young boy._

_Alec cast a glance over to Jace as he stood from his seat. His brother held his hands up in apologetic surrender as Alec dropped down into a squat in front of their youngest sibling, quickly schooling his face into something much gentler than the sorrow and rage he had been showing before._

_“I wasn't yelling,” Alec protested with an exaggerated look of indignation on his face, "I never yell."_

_Max lifted an eyebrow far too judgmentally for a boy of his age and Alec rolled his eyes at his sister’s influence on the kid. He let Max drop his guard for a second before Alec’s hands darted out suddenly and tickled Max until the young boy was shouting his submission and apology._

_“I give, I give! You don’t yell! You never yell!”_

_Alec released Max as his raucous laughter died down into hiccupped giggles. “Where’s Lydia?”_

_Alec furrowed his brow, “What? Why would Lydia be here?”_

_“Well, you’re taking her to the party tonight, right?”_

_Alec shot a worried glance at his other siblings over Max’s head but they both raised their shoulders and wrinkled their brows in confusion, offering no explanation._

_“Why would I be bringing Lydia?” Alec asked his younger brother, turning back to him with a questioning gaze._

_“I overheard Mom talking about you and Lydia, saying that you’d hit it off at the last ball.”_

_“How do you even know what ‘hit it off’ means?” Jace teased the younger boy, coming up behind him and poking his sides._

_“Hey!” Max yelled at his brother. “I am nine, you know!” The younger boy stuck out his tongue before he turned back to Alec and spoke matter-of-factly. “I like Lydia. And I’ve never been to a wedding before.”_

_“A wedding?” Izzy and Jace questioned in tandem._

_“Max, what wedding?” Alec’s voice held a degree of urgency that no one in the room could remember ever having heard before._

_“Lydia’s wedding.”_

_“I didn’t know that Lydia was getting married,” Izzy said, coming to stand next to her brothers. “What did Mom say about it?”_

_“Mom said that Alec and Lydia–"_

_Before Max could continue his explanation Maryse appeared in the doorway suddenly._

_“There you all are! Alec, your father needs you in the ballroom to go over something or other, and Izzy, can you help me pick out my jewellery for tonight? Max, come on – you need a bath before the party. Oh and Jace, please don’t tease Max too much tonight.”_

_She turned on her heel with a smile to herd her younger son away whilst Jace ran after him, tagging him and darting away. Izzy and Alec turned to each other in horror but had no time to do anything more than whisper over each other’s questions as they followed dutifully after their mother._

_“A wedding –”_

_“What –”_

_“Who’s getting married –?”_

_“No –”_

_“Is Lydia even engaged –?”_

_“It’s Max, you know that he doesn’t listen properly –”_

_“Wait, are you getting married –?”_

_Oh God, Alec suddenly thought, his heart jumping into his throat. He knew his mother didn’t know he was gay, but…_ Was _he getting married?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Italics are memories/flashbacks)

“Meliorn’s asking how Alec’s doing and wants to know if he should come in to see him, or just wait outside to pick me up. I don’t want to leave but I need to go to th–”

“Alec thinks Maryse left because of him,” Magnus said suddenly, shocking Izzy and making her jump in her seat.

“What?” Izzy’s head shot around to stare at Magnus at his words, her phone dropping onto Alec’s bed. Magnus and Izzy had been sitting in Alec’s room for a couple of hours whilst its inhabitant slept peacefully in his bed between them. He’d been sleeping more and more for the past couple of days, but it meant that his injuries were healing and that he would be able to be released from the hospital soon.

“I don’t know what he was talking about,” Magnus continued, as if he hadn’t heard anything that Isabelle had said to him for the last ten minutes, just mulling over his own thoughts. His eyes remained glued to his partner as he spoke. “He seems to think that she hates him now.”

Izzy gaped at Magnus completely dumbfounded, her previous conversation forgotten and ignoring her buzzing phone. “What? Why? Mom adores Alec. He’s always been her golden boy. He was always the one to do the right thing, or to apologise for us doing the wrong thing. He heads their business!”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Magnus said dryly as his fingers danced absentmindedly up and down Alec’s un-bandaged arm. “I don’t know what happened. I went home to change and when I came back I took over the watch from Robert. We spoke but he didn’t say that anything had happened – apparently Alec was barely even awake when he was here. But then Alec woke up just after his dad left and he was in a right state. He kept muttering that Maryse had said that she was going to break us up or something like that. I couldn’t get him to make sense before he fell back asleep. I don’t know what’s happening, Iz, but he’s a mess.”

Izzy rounded the bed and pulled a chair up to sit next to Magnus’s. She laid her head on his shoulder and reached out a hand to squeeze his knee.

“Hey. It’s okay,” she comforted him. “Alec probably got confused – he’s totally out of it on pain meds. He thought I was Jace earlier,” she teased with a light giggle in an attempt to lighten the mood. Magnus barely managed to crack a smile and Izzy sighed. “She didn’t come yesterday, did she?”

Magnus shook his head. “No. I was here all day. I expected her to come at some point but she never did. She didn’t come while I was here the day before either.”

“And I was here that morning and she never came.” Izzy squeezed Magnus’s hand tightly and she covered her face. “I mean, it’s not like we were expecting Mom to love this, but we never thought - She wouldn’t…” she trailed off and sighed again, pressing closer to Magnus and watching her brother, wishing to God that he was wrong.

/

_ “Alec!” Alec turned at his mother’s voice, swallowing his sigh at the unsurprising sight of the young woman on her arm. He smiled sweetly as he bent to drop a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “You remember Lydia Branwell, don’t you?” _

_ “Of course I do,” Alec responded, shaking her hand and giving her a soft kiss as well. Suddenly Max’s voice sounded in his head – 'I like Lydia. And I’ve never been to a wedding before'– but Alec ignored it with a forced smile. “You look lovely, as always, Lyds.” _

_ Lydia pretended to fan herself, laughing at Alec’s eye roll. Maryse looked between the two of them and smiled, patting Alec’s arm as she excused herself. When she was gone Alec turned to Lydia with his mouth open but she cut him off. _

_ “I’m so sorry,” she rushed to say. “Your Mom just caught me and pulled me over here; she’s really scary!” _

_ Alec huffed out a laugh as Lydia’s confession dropped into a whisper and he turned to grab two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. _

_ “She can be pretty scary, but I know how much she likes you.” _

_ Lydia smiled up at Alec at that and accepted the glass that he held out to her. _

_ “It’s been a while since I saw you,” she said, “How’re things?” _

_ The two fell into easy conversation and reminisced about the days that they used to spend together as children until Lydia saw her mother waving at her from across the room a short while later. Lydia smiled apologetically as she rolled her eyes. _

_ “I have to go – no doubt Mom’s going to try and fit another of her business associates into the seating plan.” _

_ Alec blanched for a second and stuttered his goodbyes as he downed his drink. He headed to the bar to procure another and bumped into his mother. _

_ “There you are!” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Alec’s cheek. Dear God, was she drunk? “Isn’t Lydia so beautiful? She’s going to make such a lovely bride.”  _

_ Alec’s heart began to beat faster as he was struck with a wave of panic, Max’s words echoing around his head tauntingly, getting louder and louder with each re-run. Alec had already seen his contract for when he became COO and there was no marriage clause in there. There had been one when his great great-grandfather had first built the company – it was actually how his maternal great-grandparents had met – but, despite his family’s teasing when he was younger, his grandad had gotten rid of it. He hadn’t wanted to see his daughter forced into a marriage that she hadn’t chosen. So Alec didn’t need to be married to inherit the company. Max didn’t know what he was talking about. _

_ Ugh, Alec was working himself into a right panic. He needed Izzy. No, who he really needed was Magnus but… He stopped that train of thought before it could go any further. He couldn’t think about Magnus here, he needed to focus. Obviously his parents didn’t know about Magnus, nor the fact that he was gay, but they still wouldn’t expect him to get married just to take a seat at the head of the company. His parents would never do that to him. Would they? _

_ “Mom,” he started, wiping his sweating hands on his suit trousers. “What did you say to Max about –” _

_ “Alec!” Lydia’s voice suddenly cut through Alec’s panicked question. “Come over here and settle this debate. I need a man’s opinion on this wedding.” _

_ Oh good Lord. What had he done to deserve this? Lydia was a lovely lady, so gentle and kind and even as a gay man he could appreciate just how beautiful she really was, but he didn’t want to marry her! Was this because he hadn’t come out? Was this some kind of sick punishment for not standing up for who he was? _

_ He took a deep breath as he loosened his shirt collar – and maybe downed another flute or two of champagne – before he headed into the circle of women surrounding Lydia. The young lady looked at Alec and reached out a hand to pull him closer. _

_ “They’re all telling me that the bridesmaids dresses look better in purple than blue, but don’t you think that the groom should have a say?” The groom, oh god, Alec was a  _ groom _. “John doesn’t even like purple!” _

_ Wait, John? Who the hell was John? Then Alec’s gaze dropped down to Lydia’s left hand curled around the glass in her grasp or, more specifically, to the gigantic diamond on her ring finger. A ring that he had most definitely  _ not  _ put there. He felt a wave of relief crash into him, so strong that he was sure his knees were going to buckle. Oh, he was such an idiot. Of course his parents would never force him to get married; it had never even been on the cards. He couldn’t believe how this had spiralled out of control – he was never going to listen to a single word that Max said ever again. _

_ Alec took a fortifying breath and smiled. “I think they’d look beautiful in whatever colour you choose, Lyds. Dance?” _

_ She smiled at him in relief and accepted the hand he held out to her as she let him lead her out to the dance floor and pull her close. “Thank you. I appreciate some support against them. I’d love their help - they’ve been through it all themselves of course - but it’s my wedding!” _

_ Alec laughed. “Wait till Izzy gets married – can you imagine my mom taking a back seat?” _

_ Lydia threw her head back and laughed. “We’ll have to be on close watch to dash in with emergency chocolate and alcohol!” _

_“So, why isn’t your fiancé here? John, wasn’t it?” Alec asked_ _as he spun Lydia gracefully around the floor._

_ “Yes,” Lydia’s smile at his name alone was truly beautiful. “There was a conference-call-meeting for some of the investors in our company tonight so we tossed a coin to see who would go to each one.” _

_ “So who won?” _

_ “He’s at a meeting which will last an hour tops due to the time difference with the client, whilst I’m stuck at a party with my parents getting drunk and planning my wedding with about seventeen CEOs from companies neither of us know. I think it’s safe to say that I lost.” _

_ Alec huffed out a laugh as he looked around the ballroom. “I get that.” _

_ “So why are you here alone?” Lydia returned the question, arms changing position as the band slipped into a new song. “No girl good enough for the mysterious Alec Lightwood?” _

_ Alec thought for a second before deciding to be brave – or rather the champagne he’d been drinking all night decided to be brave. _

_ “No, it’s not that,” he began, “My parents don’t know about my boyfriend.” _

_ Lydia suddenly missed a step and nearly tripped over Alec’s feet before the other man tightened his hold on her. They stared at each other for a moment, standing stock still in the middle of the dance floor before Alec cast a nervous glance around to see if anyone was staring at them. That shook Lydia back into focus and she pulled Alec to start dancing again. _

_ “Well, I can’t say I saw that coming.” There was a twitch to her lips but also a definite look of pride, so reminiscent of Izzy’s that he had to look away. He wasn’t brave; he didn’t deserve that gentle look. “Too soon to tell them?” _

_ “God no, it’s not too soon,” Alec hastened to disagree. “We’ve been together for two years. It’s just, no one really – well, the thing is that…” _

_ “Hey.” Lydia squeezed Alec’s neck with a soothing smile. “It’s okay,” she assured. “I get it, don’t worry. I won’t say anything.” _

_Alec looked across the room and saw his mother standing by the Branwells and smiling as they flicked through what Alec could only assume were photos of wedding favours, or flowers, or dresses, or something wedding related. Maryse looked in her element looking at wedding things and_ _Alec was struck with another sudden wave of panic at the look of fond anticipation on her face. Lydia noticed his sudden distress and followed his gaze. She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and groaned, calling Alec’s attention back to her._

_ “I swear; I’m just going to elope.” _

_Alec chuckled down at her but his eyes soon wandered back over to his mom. Maryse looked up at him and winked. Oh god, his mother had just winked at him. As disturbing as that was, it settled something inside of him. He felt another wave of emotion, another strong surge of relief knowing that his mother was only messing with him. It was Alec’s turn to roll his eyes, but the corners of his mouth lifted as he watched his mother’s laugh join the other women’s tittering. God, she was so drunk._ _Oh dear Lord, this was embarrassing._

_His mother had been a lot more relaxed_ _lately, easier with her laughter and jokes_ ** _._** _A couple of years ago, Max had had a horrible health scare and the strain had nearly caused her relationship with Robert to collapse. With an awful lot of pushing, her and Robert had taken a five-week holiday from the company (“No, mom. The company will not burn to the ground if you’re not here for 12 hours each day,”) and had left Alec in charge, (“Yes, Mom. Jace will stay well away from every important decision”). They had claimed that it was nothing more than allowing Alec a trial run for when he took a leading position, but the Lightwoods all knew it was more than that. Maryse and Robert had come back so much happier; they let the office close earlier, Meliorn and whoever Jace was seeing that month were invited to all family events and welcomed with open arms, and they had taken a more hands-on approach with Max, choosing to pick him up from school by themselves instead of leaving it to the babysitter. Life for the whole family had changed for the better._

_ Something had started to uncurl in Alec’s stomach for a few months now, slowly but surely, and he was beginning to think that maybe Maryse and Robert wouldn’t mind about Magnus. Okay, well, they might  _ mind **_,_ ** _ but perhaps they wouldn’t react in the way that Alec had convinced himself they would. Maybe… _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty short chapter because the next one is gonna be big.
> 
> Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments; I will get round to replying to them all I promise, but they make my day!

“Congratulations, Mr. Lightwood,” the doctor said as he entered Alec’s room. “You are fit enough to be released later today.” He lifted his gaze from his notes when he finished speaking and saw that Alec was fast asleep. He moved his gaze to the lady sitting beside the bed instead with a smile.

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll let him know,” Isabelle said with a chuckle.

“He won’t be allowed to leave unless someone else checks him out and vouches that he will not be staying alone for the next two weeks.”

Isabelle nodded, “Absolutely.”

The doctor nodded and made a few notes on the chart attached to Alec’s bed before he left the two siblings alone again.

“Alec?” Izzy gently laid a hand on her brother’s shoulder, waking him from his doze.

“Hm?” Alec tilted his head and hummed groggily in response.

“The doctor said you can go home tonight, big brother.”

Alec smiled at her, knowing how worried she had been about him. He lifted his hand to take hers and squeezed her fingers. He noticed that her smile was a little less bright than usual, and he reckoned he knew why.

“Where is Mom?” He asked, seemingly nonchalant.

Izzy sighed, avoiding Alec’s eyes just like he knew she would. “She left a while ago,” Izzy admitted in a low voice. “A couple of days ago, actually,” she corrected after a moment.

“Fuck,” Alec groaned as his suspicions were confirmed. “She knows, doesn’t she?” Alec had thought she might; his memories were still a bit muzzy from the accident and the drugs and he hadn’t spent much of the last week lucid, but he vaguely remembered a conversation with Magnus about his mother and something about coming out.

Izzy sighed again, tightening her grip on her brother’s hand. “Yeah, I think she does. Magnus told me something about it earlier. Alec, are you okay?”

“And Dad?” Alec ignored Izzy’s question and brushed off her concern. He wasn’t so bothered with Robert knowing. They had always had a slightly better relationship; it wasn’t that he wasn’t close with his mother, but his dad had always been quicker to joke around in meetings or slip him an extra sweet as a child.

Izzy sighed when she saw Alec’s deflection; he had always been pretty good at being the strong one, never wanting to talk about his own problems. “No one said anything explicitly, but they all saw Magnus here. He was a mess. Alec, what did Mom say to you when she left?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Alec said decisively. “She left. She made it clear how she feels about this.”

“Please tell me, Alec,” Izzy pleaded with her brother, not deterred with his dismissal. “I need to know what she said to hurt you.”

Again Alec ignored her and dropped his gaze to his bandaged fingers. “Where did -”

“I’m sorry.”

The siblings startled at the new voice and looked up to see Magnus standing in the doorway, his appearance much more put together than the last time either of them had seen him.

“It’s my fault,” he continued. “When I heard that you were in the hospital I didn’t stop to think whether or not you would want me here; I just came.”

Izzy opened her mouth to answer him but it was Alec who replied first.

“Don’t be sorry,” he said almost immediately. “I’m not mad. They had to know sooner or later; we’d talked about it anyway, you and I. And if it had been you in this bed there couldn’t have been anything on earth that would have kept me away.”

Magnus smiled faintly at that, but maintained his line. “But you didn’t want this, Alec.”

The use of his nickname, something that he wasn’t used to hearing coming from Magnus, shocked him and made him realise how Magnus was feeling about this. He wasn’t his usual confident self, the guilt almost coming off the man in waves.

“You weren’t out and I basically forced you to come out to your parents.” It seemed that now that Alec was more awake and his injuries had begun to heal, Magnus felt a bit better about arguing with him.

“You didn’t,” Alec protested. He tried to push himself up but didn’t have the strength, his arms shaking as he groaned. Izzy jumped up to help him and Magnus took a sudden step forward but Alec waved them off, settling himself back against his pillows with a grimace but still staring intently at Magnus. “You didn’t force me to do anything that I didn’t want, or wouldn’t have done on my own eventually anyway.”

Izzy looked between the two men; her big brother still battered and bruised lying in a hospital bed and the glamorous, made-up man in the doorway. She pressed a kiss to Alec’s cheek, whispering softly in his ear and offering a comforting smile. As she stood to leave she did the same to Magnus, pushing him into the room as she made her way out. Magnus smiled at her and moved to take her seat next to Alec. He reached out and took the other man’s hand, staring down at it rather than looking up at his partner. “How are you feeling?”

“A lot better, thanks,” Alec replied softly.

Izzy paused in the doorway and looked back at her brother lying in the hospital bed, his boyfriend sitting by his side. The space between them was something that Izzy wasn’t used to seeing; there was a definite tension that the two men never usually held. This wasn’t right, she thought to herself. She turned on her heel and left as a fierce determination settled inside of her.

“The doctor cleared me to go home tonight.” Alec left the sentence open, an unspoken question in his voice as he waited for Magnus to answer it.

Magnus smiled and looked up at Alec, squeezing his hand as he spoke. “Are you going to ring Maryse, or would you rather I took you home?”

“I’m not supposed to be left alone and I doubt that my mother could stand to be in the same room as me right now, so if you don’t mind babysitting an invalid for the next couple of weeks then...” Alec wanted to be close to his boyfriend after spending so long apart from him, but he also didn’t want to go to his mother’s house. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to face her just yet but he didn’t say as much to Magnus.

“Of course I wouldn’t mind, darling.”

Alec grinned at his boyfriend and pulled on his hand gently, urging the other man to lean in and give him a kiss. When they broke apart Alec lifted his hand and cupped Magnus’s cheek.

“Please smile,” he begged.

“I am smiling,” Magnus insisted, lips curling upwards to prove his point.

“That’s not your smile. You’re still beating yourself up. Please stop, Magnus. I don’t blame you, I promise. It’s okay. I love you.”

Magnus leant into Alec’s hand and let his eyes slip closed. “You were so scared to come out, Alexander.”

“And now I have!” Alec interjected. “I came out and nothing happened. The world is still spinning, you’re still here and –”

“But your parents –"

“It’s okay,” Alec said quickly. He knew he would have to discuss it at some point but he didn’t think he had the energy just now.

“Your parents left,” Magnus said softly.

“I know,” Alec sighed. “I know they did. And it’s okay – I don’t blame them. It was a lot to deal with and a huge shock. I knew this was going to happen. It hurts, but I don’t regret it. I don’t regret _you_.”

Alec had been the scared one for years – he’d known he was gay for over a decade and yet he had been so terrified to tell anyone – but now here he was. Now he was the one comforting his usually confident boyfriend and promising him that it was okay.

And it was; Alec felt lighter, like a thousand pounds had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe his parents would react in the way that he had always feared, or maybe they wouldn’t, but at least now he would know. And he would know with Magnus’s hand wrapped around his and, honestly, that made him feel like he had the strength to face anything.

“Alexander,” Magnus sighed before Alec cut in.

“It’s okay,” Alec smiled up at him. “Really.”

Magnus couldn’t help but smile back at his earnest boyfriend even as his heart sank. “I love you, too.”

Alec was still pretty out of it on his pain medication, but when he would come back to full consciousness and realise what had actually happened and how much he had lost, he was bound to feel differently.

/

_“God, Magnus,” Alec’s urgent whimper cut through the otherwise silent room as Magnus wrapped his legs around Alec’s waist and used his strength to flip their positions. He ended up on top of Alec, straddling the other man as he bent down to swallow Alec’s moans greedily._

_They were interrupted when a phone began to ring, the noise echoing in the room and only getting louder the longer it was ignored. Alec reached out a hand blindly to fumble around for the cellphone without breaking the kiss. He finally grabbed the device and answered it expertly, only turning his head away when he brought the phone to his ear._

_“Hello,” he croaked into the phone, biting back a moan as Magnus began to move his kisses down the column of Alec’s throat since his mouth was otherwise occupied._

“Alec?” _Came the voice through the speaker._

_“Mom?” Alec suddenly pulled away from Magnus in shock, pushing the older man off of him and rolling over to the other side of the bed._

_When the call was over Alec ended the connection as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet dangling just above the floor. His shoulders were tense and when he brought his hand up to hold his head he noticed how badly his hand was shaking. Magnus crawled across from the other side of the bed and sat behind him. He lifted a hand to rest on Alec’s shoulder and when his boyfriend relaxed into the touch he wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him tightly._

_“I can’t keep lying to her,” Alec whispered, turning the phone over in his hands. “I can’t do this anymore.”_

_Magnus tensed. “This… as in, us?”_

_“No!” Alec twisted around in Magnus’s arms. “No! Not us; never us. I just meant the lying and the hiding, the pretending that nothing is happening or nothing is wrong. That was so scary; I just felt as though she knew the whole time, as if she was on a video call and could see everything and know that I was lying to her, that I have been for years.”_

_“Okay,” Magnus said, rubbing his hands up and down Alec’s arms soothingly. “It’s okay, Alexander. Calm down, sweetheart, it’s okay – she doesn’t know.” It took a moment for Alec’s shaking to subside and he relaxed into Magnus’s touch again._

_“I can’t do this for much longer.”_

_“Okay,” Magnus said simply, “then let’s come clean.”_

_“No!”_

_“No?”_

_Alec groaned and dropped his head forward onto Magnus’s shoulder. “I don’t know.”_

_Magnus huffed a weak laugh and pressed a kiss to Alec’s head. He wrapped his arms around him tighter and sighed._ _“It’s okay, my darling. Just take your time.”_

_“I have been taking my time,” Alec said in frustration, “And it’s not getting me anywhere.”_

_“So, what do we do?” Magnus asked after a moment of quiet. “Come clean, or carry on lying?”_

_“Fuck," was Alec's reply. "This fucking sucks.”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I split the last chapter into two because it was a monster

“Mom!”

Isabelle walked through the building with single-minded purpose until she reached her mother’s office. She marched straight into the room, only knocking as she pushed the door open, rendering the action redundant. Maryse was on the phone with her back to the door and ignored her daughter’s call.

“Mom!”

Maryse turned around at Isabelle’s second shout and noticed the other woman’s urgency. She held up a hand to her daughter as she ended the conversation and put her phone down before beckoning Isabelle closer.

“I can’t believe you,” were the first words from Isabelle’s mouth as she crossed the room. She planted her palms on her mother’s desk and leant forward with a glare on her face.

“What?” Maryse asked in shock, taken aback by Isabelle’s entrance.

Isabelle never shouted at her mom. They had arguments, of course they did, but Isabelle never came out and snapped like that. The two women were very similar in their personalities and that meant that they often clashed easily but overall they had a good relationship, going out for cocktails after work and spoiling each other on shopping trips. When they did argue their arguments mostly consisted of snide comments thrown back and forth, designed to cause the most emotional pain possible, but they didn’t _yell_ at each other. Yelling wasn’t the Lightwood way.

“Isabelle –”

“No, Mom!” The younger woman interrupted. “I can’t believe you. This is Alec. Your _son._ Your eldest child; your heir.”

“Isabelle, what –”

“So he’s gay!” Isabelle wouldn’t let Maryse finish a sentence, her emotions running too high to pause. “So what? It doesn’t change anything!”

“I never said it did!” Maryse stood up from the chair behind her desk, her voice raised to match Isabelle’s. Maryse now stood taller than her daughter, but Isabelle didn’t back down.

“Then why did you leave, Mom?”

At the crack in her daughter’s voice Maryse rounded the desk and walked over to her daughter.

“Oh, come here,” she said softly and pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s going to be okay, Izzy, I promise. It’s Alec; our big, strong Alec. He’s going to be fine.” Because that was what Isabelle had been more concerned about, Maryse could tell. All of the Lightwood children were made of stern stuff, strong people who believed vast shows of emotion were signs of weakness. Sometimes they just needed a release. As for the other issue… She replayed conversations that they had had, moments when the whole family had been there and moments alone with Alec, times when she could have said something supportive but didn’t. She didn’t think that she had been judgmental or openly harsh about how other people chose to live their lives. Neither she nor her husband had been raised in touchy-feely families; they had been loved and supported but they were never overly emotional or particularly affectionate, and it seemed that such an upbringing had bled into her relationship with her own children’s, but maybe that was not what they had needed. Maybe Magnus wasn’t exactly the partner that she or Robert had imagined for their son, what with his flamboyant dress sense and the fact that he seemed to vastly different to Alec, older and more experienced, but no one could look at the two men together and deny that they worked well. “And I promise you that I don’t care that he’s gay,” Maryse continued.

“It’s not me you need to tell,” Isabelle said quietly.

“I know it’s not,” Maryse agreed. “But I’ll tell him, just like I told you that we don’t care that you’re dating a guy with a tattooed face and decided that you didn’t want to help run our business, but wanted to go into fashion instead.” Maryse smiled into Isabelle’s hair when she felt her daughter huff a laugh into her shoulder.

Maryse pulled Isabelle away from her gently and held her gaze. “I’m sorry that I didn’t show it, but I really want what’s best for you; for all of you. And who knows what is best for you better than you, huh?

Isabelle choked down a sob and she threw herself back into her mother’s embrace as she finally let go of everything that she had been holding in for weeks. The emotions from her brother’s close brush with death as well as his coming out and the emotional pain that had caused all tumbled out of her at once and she relished in the feeling of her mother’s hug.

/

_“Hi!”_

_Alec jumped a mile in the air when his sister appeared at his elbow in the bullpen office of their company’s building._

_“Hi,” he replied. He returned to his quest of trying to locate a file, though it felt more like trying to find a needle in a haystack at this point._

_“How is Magnus?” Izzy asked._

_"I'm fine, Izzy, thanks for asking," Alec said sarcastically._

_"Oh, shush," Izzy laughed. "I see you all the time; I haven’t seen Magnus in ages. So, how is he?”_

_Alec glanced up and cast a furtive glance around the office before lowering his voice to reply. “I don’t know,” he said._

_“What do you mean you don’t know?”_

_“We haven’t spoken in a couple of days,” Alec admitted, going back to shuffling through the papers on the desk in front of him in order to avert his eyes from Izzy’s hard stare._

_“Alec!”_

_“I know, I know. Trust me, I know.” Alec sighed as his hands tightened their grip until the pages he was holding were holding crumpled and ripped._

_“What happened.” There was no intonation in Izzy’s voice, no question, just a long-suffering acceptance._

_There was a pause before Alec looked up at her and sighed again, his shoulders dropping in defeat. “We had a slight argument,” he finally said._

_“Slight?” At Izzy’s soft but insistent tone Alec exploded._

_“He kept being completely understanding about me not wanting to come out! He was totally –” He broke off and sighed, hanging his head. “Totally supportive. Just super sweet and calm about everything,” he finished with another exhale._

_Alec knew that he was being unfair to Magnus and that he was asking a lot of him to keep their relationship a secret from so many people in their lives. He’d been asking for a lot throughout the entirety of their affiliation and it was only making him feel worse the longer it went on. But Alec had a lot to lose. He was far from ashamed of himself and he was definitely not ashamed of Magnus, but there was a lot on the line. He genuinely loved his job and had worked hard for his position, family company or not. His younger brother, Max, still lived with his parents and Alec couldn’t take the chance that they would forbid Alec to visit him at the family home. His parents weren’t exactly homophobic, but Alec had heard enough disparaging remarks about men dressed too flamboyantly and heard words like “sissy” thrown around too casually just one time too many to take that chance. He hated putting that on Magnus and sometimes the guilt got to him and he lashed out, wanting Magnus to snap and fight back. Only he never did._

_“And you over-thought it and felt guilty and started a row,”_ _Izzy summarised_ ** _,_** _nodding her head in understanding of her brother’s ways._

_Alec let out a huff of air. “Yeah, pretty much.”_

_“Alec!” Izzy punched her brother in the arm. It was a true sign that Alec knew he was in the wrong that he went with it, taking the blow with submission and letting it knock him back a step or two. He sighed again as he abandoned his search – stupid interns always misplacing things – and gestured for his sister to follow him back to his office, one which actually had walls and a soundproof door._

_Alec took a seat at his desk and dropped his forehead onto the surface. Izzy winced at the thunk it made as she took her own seat opposite him. “Okay, so tell me what happened.”_

_“He kept reassuring me that it was okay that I didn’t want to come out,” Alec mumbled into his desk._

_“And when did this argument happen?”_

_Alec muttered something inaudible._

_“Excuse me?”_

_There was a pause before Alec tilted his head to the side to free his mouth. “Tuesday.”_

_Izzy threw her head back and groaned loudly. “Alec! You asshole!”_

_“I know!” Alec groaned in agreement. He turned his head back to be muffled into the desk again. “Fuck. I know.”_

_“So you spent your anniversary arguing?” The judgement was thick in Izzy’s tone._

_“…Not all of it.” Alec finally lifted his head but didn’t meet Izzy’s judgemental_ _gaze. He fiddled with the items on his desk, shifting them slightly so that they were all perfectly perpendicular. “We went out, had a meal, got some drinks. We were walking home and we saw Morgenstern, from Valentine Corp.”_

_“That guy is a total asshole,” Izzy spat vehemently. “Wait… he didn’t say anything_ nasty, _did he?”_

_“No, no,” Alec hastened to assure her._ _“Magnus stepped off to the side and looked in a window whilst I spoke to Valentine. He barely even looked at Magnus, the dick.”_

_“But then you questioned Magnus about why he stepped aside.” Izzy filled in the blank but Alec shook his head._

_“No. I_ know _why he stepped aside. He didn’t want to make me uncomfortable or have to explain what we were doing together. He knows there have been rumours and stories about him among the staff anyway; he’s always coming to the office to take me to lunch, and me never bringing a date to events hasn’t helped either.”_

_“So? None of them know him. And he doesn’t care about rumours either.” Izzy leant forward until she was resting her arms on the desk, making Alec look up to meet her gaze. “What’s the problem?”_

_“Because Magnus doesn’t deserve to be hidden like I’m ashamed of him!” Alec’s explanation came tumbling out in a rush as he leant forward as well. Magnus had come out in the tenth grade and was loathe to go back into the closet – but he would for Alec. He would do anything for Alec, and Alec knew it. But he shouldn’t have to._

_Alec had tried to justify to himself that it wasn’t like Magnus was entirely back in the closet anyway; Alec wouldn’t ever let that happen. Alec wasn’t ashamed of Magnus and their relationship. His siblings knew, as did all of their mutual friends. They held hands in the streets and went on dates in public places. Heck, even Alec’s employees knew, having put two-and-two together a long time ago. It was only Alec’s parents that didn’t know and all of their business associates; their too-rich-to-be-nice-people business associates who were homophobic at worst and assholes at best. And Magnus understood why Alec hadn’t told his parents; another reason the man was so annoyingly perfect. The Lightwoods were very high up in the business world and had been grooming Alec to become the COO of their business on his 30_ _th_ _birthday. Not many of the New York Wall Street businesses were known for their 21st century mindsets and Alec wasn’t sure that they would like to continue to trade with an openly gay man._

_Alec had set a deadline for himself - before he became the COO and before he turned 30, he was going to tell his parents about his sexuality and his long-term boyfriend. Before he’d known it, he had already been with Magnus for two years and he would turn 30 in another two years’ time. Alec was itching to propose but he couldn’t do that without telling his parents and he couldn’t tell his parents because he couldn’t let go of this one stupid hold up. Magnus always assured him that there was no rush to do either, but Alec knew how desperate he was for a wedding and children. Magnus had passed 30 himself and Alec wanted to give him everything that the other man desired, but he just kept stalling. Magnus always said that Alec didn’t need to feel pressured because enough people knew and Magnus didn’t feel like he was being kept as a dirty little secret. The thought of that alone had Alec’s blood boiling and Magnus always said that that was how he knew that Alec would treat him right, how he knew he would come out eventually._

_Alec just couldn’t do it, not yet anyway. How his parents hadn’t noticed was a minor miracle in itself, but…_

_“Hiding him from our parents and my business partners like he’s an affair or a mistake isn’t fair, it’s not_ right."

_Izzy reached out a hand and took Alec’s in hers with a soft smile. “So what are you going to do about it?”_

_But to that, Alec had no answer._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done!!! I am so, so happy that it's finally all over!
> 
> I kind of like this story and I hope you all do too; I hope this is the ending that you hoped for.
> 
> Thank you again for all your comments and to my beta for reading this mess

“I thought you were taking me back to yours?” Alec asked in confusion when Magnus drove to Alec’s apartment instead of his own.

Alec had finally been released from hospital under the strict instructions that he was taken home by a close friend or relative and not left alone, that he took his medication, and that he rested his broken body after his careful exercises. Alec had been looking forward to having a valid excuse to stay for a prolonged amount of time at his boyfriend’s apartment. He wanted to be able ring his Mom from Magnus’s without having to lie about where he was and he wanted to pretend that they lived together like every domestic daydream Alec had ever had.

“We will go to mine,” Magnus said soothingly. He reached across the console and took Alec’s hand. “I didn’t get a chance to pick up any clothes for you, though, and what you’ve left at my place isn’t enough for a week, so we’ll have to stop at yours and grab some things.”

When they pulled up, Magnus helped Alec out of the car, fetching his crutches from the trunk before he rushed around to help the other man out of the car. Alec was loathe to accept his boyfriend’s support and really had to swallow his pride to admit that he needed it. When did he finally relaxed into Magnus’s hold, he relished in the feeling of his partner’s hands holding him close. It was a long and slow walk up to Alec’s penthouse apartment; an extravagance that he normally loved but with a bruised and broken body it wasn’t the easiest place to access. They finally got to the top of the stairs and Magnus propped Alec up against the wall whilst he opened the door. Alec took a few unsteady steps into the doorway of his apartment, still not used to his crutches and an out-of-commission leg and when he looked up he was greeted with the sight of his family all standing in his living room holding flowers or balloons or banners. He barked out a startled laugh and twisted to beam at Magnus, the other man coming up behind him with his own grin and looping an arm around Alec’s waist to help him cross the threshold.

As soon as Alec was through the door his younger brother Max jumped up and ran over to him. He barrelled into Alec’s legs with the energy that only a child could have and threw his arms around his brother’s waist. Jace hurried over to stop Max from crashing into Alec but before he could dislodge the boy Alec shook his head to ward him off. Alec bent as much as he could to hug his brother, biting back his groan of pain at the movement. Max hadn’t been to the hospital to see Alec; Alec had been in far too bad of a state when he had first been admitted for the little boy to see him in, a body covered in bruises and tubes would have worried Max beyond belief. When Alec had begun to heal Max had been back in school and Alec wouldn’t hear of him missing any of his activities to visit a hospital – it was not a place for his little brother to be.

Max beamed up at Alec and hugged him tighter. “You’re home! You’re okay! You’re home!”

“I am, Max,” Alec reassured, smiling down at him. “I’m a lot better.”

“There’s cake! I made a cake!” Max’s excitement was so strong that he was almost vibrating as he grinned up at his brother, eyes blown wide and cheeks flushed.

Alec chuckled, stroking a hand over Max’s hair with a grin at his brother’s enthusiasm. “That’s awesome, buddy! Thank you so much.”

“Do you want some? I’ll get you some!” Max didn’t wait for Alec to answer before he pulled away from his brother and ran into the kitchen to get him a piece of his cake. When Max moved Alec turned to Magnus.

“I’m sorry,” Magnus said immediately. “I know you didn’t want to see your parents, but Izzy was so excited to have you home and I was talking to –”

Alec leant as much of his weight that he could onto one crutch and held out a hand for Magnus. “It’s okay,” he said, cutting Magnus’s ramble off, “Really. I can do this; _we_ can do this.”

Magnus’s tense shoulders softened but before either man could say anything more Jace stepped forward and pulled Alec into another hug.

“Took you long enough to get out of hospital, dude,” Jace said as he pulled back with a slap to Alec’s back. He dropped his smile into a stern expression and lifted a finger to point accusingly at Alec. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I didn’t exactly have a say over the length of my stay, Jace,” Alec chucked with a shake of his head, “but I have no plans to ever do it again, don’t worry about that.”

“Good.”

“Let the boy sit down,” another voice called out before the brothers could say anything more. Alec looked across the room to see his dad standing to one side with a mug in his hand. Alec’s breath caught in his throat as Robert crossed the room and stood in front of him. Alec’s hands began to sweat, but before he could panic Robert lifted a hand to rest on his shoulder and smiled at him.

“It’s good to see you standing on your own two feet, Alec.”

Alec relaxed under his father’s hand and leant in to his touch. “It’s good to be standing on my own two feet,” he said with a laugh, although there was still a feeling of tension crawling up his neck.

“Magnus,” Robert greeted with a nod, his gaze shifting over to the man who still had his arm around Alec. Alec held his breath as Robert removed his hand from Alec’s neck and held it out to Magnus instead. Magnus looked surprised for a second before he relaxed into a smile and placed Alec’s hospital bag back onto the floor so that he could take Robert’s hand in his own and shake it firmly.

Max came bundling back over just then with a plate of brightly coloured cake in his hand and held it out to Alec before frowning when he saw that his hands were full of crutches.

“That looks so good, Max! You should definitely bake more!” Magnus enthused, always stepping in at the perfect time. “Can you take it over to the couch? We were heading that way.”

Max nodded and headed over as Alec followed his younger brother. He threw a grateful smile over his shoulder to Magnus, the ever-present help behind him. Alec collapsed onto the couch with a groan and allowed Magnus to flit around him, moving pillows and elevating his broken ankle.

“I’ll get you a drink,” Magnus said once Alec was settled.

“Wait –” Alec reached out a hand and caught Magnus before he could pull too far away. He reeled the other man in and pressed a kiss to his lips, letting his eyes slip closed as the reality of where he was truly sunk in. He could kiss Magnus in front of his parents. Whether they approved or not he could, and would, do it. He pulled away when he heard a squeal and turned his head to see Isabelle bounce onto the couch next to him and cuddle into his side with a wide grin on her face. Alec laughed as he let Magnus go, revelling in the small but deliberate kiss that his partner placed on his head as he reached out an arm to pull Izzy into a hug, thanking her softly for both the party and her constant support. She waved him off with a roll of her eyes but leant that bit closer into his side.

Alec’s eyes sought out Magnus and watched happily as the other man headed towards the kitchen. He smiled until he saw that Maryse was walking into the kitchen behind him. Alec suddenly struggled to sit up suddenly, feeling the need to intervene before his mother could say anything to Magnus. He didn’t know if they’d spoken in the hospital - if they had, Magnus hadn’t told him about it – but he believed that Maryse was still struggling to come to terms with his revelation. The conversation he had overheard in the hospital was echoing cruelling in his mind and alarm bells were ringing loud enough to bring on a pounding headache. Before he could do more than lean an inch forward, Robert came over and sat next to Alec on his free side, smiling at his children but not making a move to speak.

There was a moment of silence before Izzy could take the silence no more and opened her mouth.

“Dad, you’ve –”

Alec squeezed her knee and she stopped talking, turning her head to look at her brother inquisitively. Alec shook his head slightly and Izzy understood, leaning back into the couch with a soft sigh. A moment later, Alec took a deep breath and started talking.

“Dad.  About Magnus…” He trailed off there, not quite sure what he wanted to say or how he wanted to phrase it. He grit his teeth and tried again, but the words still wouldn’t come.

Robert seemed to get it though and smiled at his son. “It’s okay, Alec. I can’t say I understand it and I can without a doubt say I didn’t see this coming, but you’re my son. This doesn’t change you.” He paused before quirking an eyebrow. “Does it?”

“No!” Alec was quick to disagree. “I’m still _me;_ everything is just out in the open now.”

Izzy beamed and leant into Alec’s side. Alec wrapped an arm around her shoulders tightly in a silent thank you for her unwavering support.

“And is it?” Robert continued, “All out in the open, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Alec said. “That was the only deep secret I’ve been harbouring. But, actually, I guess some things will change. There will be sides of me you haven’t seen.”

Robert chuckled a sad kind of laugh and cupped his son’s neck. “Well, I look forward to getting to know both you and Magnus better then,” he said. He patted Alec on the shoulder, then stood up and headed over to talk to Jace.

Alec breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived as he looked up and noticed that Magnus was standing alone in the kitchen, looking a bit shell-shocked. Alec lifted his eyebrows in puzzlement and was about to mouth a question to his boyfriend when he caught sight of his mother making her way over to where Alec was sitting. Her walk was slow and unsure, a look that Alec hadn’t seen on his mother before, and by Izzy’s soft gasp, nor had she. Izzy cast a quick glance between Alec and their mother and when she received two soft smiles in return she stood to leave, pressing a quick kiss to Alec’s cheek and squeezing Maryse’s hand as she passed.

Maryse took a seat delicately on the edge of the couch and avoided Alec’s eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m sorry.”

Alec cringed until his mother’s quiet words sunk in. “What?” He asked loudly before he could stop himself.

Maryse still didn’t look at her son as she explained herself. “I’m sorry that you felt that you had to hide this about yourself for so long,” she took a deep breath as she spun her wedding ring around her finger, eyes fixated on her manicured hands. “I was talking to Magnus and he said that you and he have been together for three years now.”

Alec wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, if there was anything that he could say. He was grateful that Magnus had been there to tell Maryse what she wanted to know because he wasn’t sure that he could.

“Is it true?”

Alec sighed at his mother’s question and braced himself for her reaction. He wasn’t going to deny his boyfriend, even as his heart beat so loudly he could hear it pounding in his ears. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

“How did you meet?”

“Mom, you don’t have to –” Alec stared intently at his mother as he protested but she cut him off.

“I want to know.”

“We met through Izzy,” Alec began hesitantly. “Meliorn and Magnus used to work together when they were in college and we all met up for drinks around Izzy’s birthday, and, I don’t know. We just hit it off. I walked in and he was there and, well, he was all I could see for the rest of the night. He was just so beautiful and... I’m sor –” Alec cut himself off as he began to apologise for telling his mother how beautiful he found his own boyfriend. There was no need to apologise and somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel himself beginning to believe that. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sat up straighter as he began to talk again. “We kept it pretty quiet but, I love him, Mom. And I’m sorry that you had to find out the way that you did, but I do…”

“When did you know?”

“Know what?” Alec knew what Maryse wanted to know but he wanted to buy himself a bit more time before the final reveal.

“That you were, gay.”

Alec took a deep breath, ignoring Maryse’s hesitation before the word ‘gay’ and steeled himself. “I’ve known since I was eighteen. I knew before then, actually.”

Maryse took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.

“But I had to work through it,” Alec hastened to continue. “I had things to deal with and sort out before I told anyone,” Alec was desperate to explain. “It took me a long time to come to terms with it, but now that I have… I’m happy, Mom.”

“Ten years, Alec.”

Alec didn’t have anything to say to that, trying hard not to crumble at the pain in his mother’s words and how her voice had dropped to barely more than a whisper.

“Ten years. You knew and you didn’t say anything. You worked for our company and you spoke to our clients and you didn’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“What? No, Alec,” Maryse started but Alec looked up at her determinedly.

“I heard you in the hospital -,” he said. It hurt but he had to face this head on. “I heard you telling Dad that this couldn’t happen, not to you. So I’m sorry that I wasn’t what you wanted, or who you wanted, but I won’t change.”

Maryse looked sharply at her son. “No! God, Alec. No! I meant that we shouldn’t have made you feel that way, that you had to hide who you were from us,” Maryse said quietly but with absolute conviction.

“But you said about me working for the company and being gay….” Alec was confused. What was Maryse talking about? He’d heard her. He’d heard his mother say that this couldn’t happen, not to her.

“Because of the people we’ve dealt with, Alec!” Maryse said imploring. “I don’t know how many meetings I’ve had to sit through with a bigot or a misogynistic asshole or a racist or a homophobe who thinks that just because they own a company and have seven zeros in their bank account they can belittle who they want. It annoys me… but _you_. How many times have you sat there and listened to that?”

Alec didn’t know what to say. His head was pounding with the new revelations and he wanted nothing more than to cry. All this time he had thought that because his mother never corrected the men she did crossed paths with she believed what they said was true.

“We cut a few ties last week,” she continued quietly, too casually for the weight that the words held.

“What?” Alec asked, voice raised in shock. “Mom, what do you mean?”

“The night we left the hospital, when I saw Magnus and you and... Well, Dad and I went to the office and drew up contract terminations. They will take a while, but they’ll come into effect sometime before the next financial year.”

“Mom, you can’t… The company –”

“The company will be fine, Alec. We’ll replace those contracts with other ones, find companies who aren’t led by bullies.” Her voice softened. “I would rather have you happy and safe in our business than have a contract with a company that would bring you pain.”

“Mom.” Alec’s voice was barely more than a choked whisper, hardly even loud enough to be heard above the light music and other scattered conversations in the room, as his face began to crumple.

“I thought you knew how much we loved you, Alec.”

“Loved?” Alec’s eyes grew wide.

Maryse startled and something very close to horror crawled over her face. “ _Love_ , Alec. God. I thought you knew that I would support you in anything you did, but I guess I never showed it enough.”

“No, Mom. It wasn’t –” Alec tried to interrupt but Maryse barrelled on.

“It was,” she insisted. “It was our fault. We never made it clear that we would support your choices, whatever they may be, but we will, we _do._ All of you, all four of you, are our world. Not the company, not our name. You. _”_

Alec felt an embarrassing wetness in his eyes as his mother held his gaze, her eyes suspiciously watery and her smile too sad to be comforting.

“Okay, so we might not have chosen Magnus for your partner, not that we would have any say in it anyway, but I can admit that we have made a few errors in judgement before. I’ve never seen you so happy. I’m sorry, Alec.”

“No, Mom. You don’t have to be,” Alec tried to say.

“Well, clearly I do. We thought you were in a relationship, you know.” She wasn’t looking at Alec but let her gaze drift across the room, resting on each of her children as if checking they were all still there. “Your dad and I did notice; you’re different these days. You’ve begun to leave the office before it gets dark outside and you smile a lot more easily.” Alec had had a tough time as a teenager, obviously his parents didn’t know why he had been so serious and withdrawn but he had been discovering that he was gay and wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.  Maryse and Robert might not have been the most emotional and touchy-feely people but they were far from cold and emotionless **;** they did notice what happened to their children, even if they didn’t know all of the details.

“You’ve been amazing, really,” Alec continued, desperate to explain his side of things.

“But we weren’t what you needed,” Maryse disagreed, letting her eyes move back to her son.

“You were,” he said fiercely. “Please don’t think you were anything but brilliant parents. You did everything right, gave us everything we needed. I just, this wasn’t,” Alec cut himself off with a frustrated sigh and rubbed at his head. Suddenly Magnus was there with a glass of water and a few painkillers, holding him out to his partner and assuring him that they were fine to take, it had been long enough since his last dose. Alec smiled at the kiss Magnus placed on his temple as he left, taking the now-empty glass with him, and bit back the tears that threatened to fall. That was the third time that he had kissed a man in front of his parents now and he thought the butterflies in his stomach would never settle again. To her credit Maryse hadn’t even flinched and when Alec turned to look at her, nervous and scared of what he would see there, she was smiling softly at the sight. Alec smiled back and gestured to the now-retreating Magnus. “I just felt that this was something that you wouldn’t accept, wouldn’t understand. I don’t know why, it was, I felt –”

Maryse reached out hand and took her son’s gently in hers. “And for that I am sorry. Your dad and I will try a lot harder, we promise. I’m sure your dad has already told you; it just wasn’t what we were expecting. But it’s okay – we’ll get there. I’m also sorry that we left the hospital –”

“You had to get Max–”

“Alec, will you please let me finish a sentence!” Maryse let out a dainty laugh as Alec smiled sheepishly. “Max or not, we shouldn’t have left you there. I know it isn’t an excuse, but seeing you in that bed was…, I don’t know. It wasn’t something that a mother is ever prepared for - I know _I_ wasn’t. But we should have been there for you even though everything was a bit hectic. There was a lot to sort out.”

“And now?”

“Now, we’re all done.”

They sat there for a moment, each with small smiles gracing their faces and their thumbs stroking each other’s hand absentmindedly.

Maryse cleared her throat before she spoke again, her voice a little wobbly but bright. “Don’t think this gets you out of providing me with grandchildren though, young man. My expectations are still high.”

Alec huffed a laugh, thankful for the light break. He lifted his other hand and wiped subtly at his eyes. His voice was thick and husky when he spoke but it matched the lightness of his mother’s. “After the wedding, we’ll talk,” he promised.

“The wedding?”

“It’s been three years and a lot of stress. I think I owe him a ring, don’t you?”

“I’d say so,” she agreed, “A big one, too.” Maryse smiled at Alec before letting her gaze wander over to watch Magnus standing at the other side of the room. He was laughing with Izzy and he bent to accept a piece of cake from Max with a wink, causing Max to pull a face at him. Maryse squeezed her son’s hand. “We like him.”

Alec followed her eye line and smiled too, squeezing Maryse’s hand back. “Thanks, Mom. So do I.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Come say hi](http://s-horne.tumblr.com/) if you liked it, or if you hated it actually


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